I want a larger contact patch for when I start autocrossing. 195 is definately too small, how big can I go on my 89 Si? 15x8? x9? With or without spacers? Also can anyone with experience recommend me a tire, I only drive it in the spring and summer she doesn't remember what winter looks or feels like.

 

I have motegi trakelite 1.0 15x7.5 with 225/50/15 falken azinas

 

I've heard good things about the Azenis and the Tracklite's aren't bad looking. 7.5, what is that like 205 right? No rubbing going on? I really want to go 215's. I saw this really nice CRX rockin 15" Evo Regamasters and the tire width was 225. I wonder how he got that to fit.

 

seriously I want to put swampers on my beater does anyone know of one small enough to fit?

 

i run 15x8's on my SM civic with 225/45 hoosiers with no problems

 

^ thats a nice car

 

What class do you want to run in?
i could be wrong but i think you can only run as wide as 7" in sts. anything wider than that will move you up a class, which you don't want to do if you want to be competitive.

 

thats good to know. thanks

 

by the 225, damn, you aint rubbin or nothin? did you have ur fenders rolled or do you have spacers or something?

 

hell i had 245/50/17 neogen, and they were7.5 wide. i never had any problem with them rubbin

 

how do you post pics on here?

 

It all depends on offset ,camber and height of the vehicle....You can run generously wide wheels with no problems..

 

The width of your tires and wheels has nothing to do with the size of the contact patch of your tires (although it affects the shape of the contact patch). The size of the contact patch is determined only by the weight of your car and the amount of air pressure in your tires. If you have a 2400 pound car and you inflate all the tires to 32 pounds per square inch, the total area of your four contact patches is going to be 75 square inches, regardless of whether your tires are 165 mm treadwidth skinnies or 225 mm steamrollers.

Here, read this article. You might learn something.

Are you new to autocross? If so, use whatever tire you've already got on the car. When you are first learning, the limiting factor will be your own experience, and you won't be using anywhere near the full limits of your tires. Also, really sticky tires will actually make it more difficult for you to learn car control, because they won't let you know when you're approaching their limits. Once you've driven in a good 8-10 events, THEN you're ready to step up to stickier tires.

When you've got some experience and you're ready to get some really sticky tires and wheels to mount them on, FIRST, decide on the tire and size you plan to use. THEN, check the tire manufacturer's specs to see what wheel widths they recommend.

If you're going to also use these tires on the street, then I recommend either the Falken Azenis RT-615 in 205/50-15, on 15x7 wheels, or the Bridgestone RE-01R in 195/50-15, also on 15x7 wheels. Both are about the same physical size, even though they are labeled as different sizes.

If you're only going to use these tires for autocross, and you have enough experience that you're close to winning your class and looking for every last hundredth of a second in lap times, THEN at that point you're ready to step up to tires made specifically for autocross (with quick warm-up characteristics), like the Hoosier A6. The A6 is available in 205/50-15 (for 15x7 wheels) and also in 225/45-15 (for 15x7.5 or 15x8 wheels). You may need to flare your fenders for the 225/45 to fit.

Also note that, depending on what autocross class you are trying to compete in, there may be restrictions on tire compound, size, and/or treadwear, that these particular tires may or may not meet.

One more thing to remember: the biggest factor in performance is how sticky your tires are, not how wide they are. A slightly narrower but stickier tire is always faster than a slightly wider but less sticky tire. So when you're looking for the best performance, concentrate on getting stickier tires (when your experience is ready to take advantage of the difference), rather than getting wider tires.

 

yea i agree, im on rota 15s now, i gave my 17s with my outher car to my family member, traded him my integ for a 91 hatch that was tottaly gutted and had a b16 jspec in it

 

nsxtasy, thanks a lot. that was honestly a great explanation. I plan on tracking the car maybe once or twice a month but will be driving it to school on a regular basis when the spring comes around. Winter time I drive a ED3, don't really care if this one rusts, do care if my Si has even the smallest dent which thank god (knock on wood) she has none of. But again thanks, I think I'll be looking into some 15x7 and reading the width rating on tires.

 

As seen in the photo above, you're going to have to do significant modifications to the fenders to get a wide 15" race tire to fit, especially a Hoosier. 225/45-15 Hoosiers are much wider than your average 225 tire. In addition, you will need to find a good balance between spring rates and ride height to keep the tires out of the bodywork. You're going to be running 500 lbs-in minimum, and you'll need dampers that build enough force to control those rates. Otherwise, you should consider fender flares.

Speaking from experience, your best bet for a naturally aspirated Street Mod EF is going to be the 13x8" wheels with 225/45-13 A6es or 13x9" wheels with 255/40-13 A6es, especially if you're running one of the longer-geared transmissions. I've personally run the 13x8s with 225/45 Hoosiers on our shop's B18A-powered SM hatch with great success regionally.

 

If you can only buy one set of wheels and tires and must be able to use them on the street, then you're not going to be competitive in any class you're currently legal for unless your region runs an indexed "street tire" class. In that case, pick up a set of 15x7" +40mm wheels and 195/50-15 Bridgestone RE-01Rs and go have fun. Forget that it's a 195, because that doesn't matter - a 195/50-15 RE-01R has more dry grip than a 205/50-15 Falken RT-615 or a 225/45-15 Hankook RS2-Z212.

 

Yeah, I'm not going for straight track car I just want to have some fun off the streets. I know too many people who've lost their lives for not taking it to a track and I don't want to end up like them. Back roads in PA are crazy fun but not when you can't see a deer just after the top of the hill or have him run across the street or like someone I know did, set-up for a wide turn so you're on the opposite side of the road when there's an oncoming car doing the same **** you are and crash head on at 100mph. They're both dead, both flew out the window.

 

You're a good man and I commend you for having a vastly more mature attitude than other enthusiasts in your age group.

Maybe I'll compete against you some day if you attend the PA State Championships

 

That'd be awesome, it's always cool to talk or meet true honda enthusiasts in PA. Everyone, or most people out here are ricers who keep telling me to put a body kit on my ED7 and that the 15" wheels I want are too small and that a straight through exhaust that sounds like a b16 trippin' on coke sounds awesome, whatever. I can't wait to get my baby done or at least close to looking nice. What's done to yours? Better yet any pics?

 

15x8+42 works well...

 

with wich rubber ??? 205!